Why we work on Conflict Sensitivity
Growing inequality, political violence and environmental degradation present serious challenges to an increasing number of countries. These are particularly acute in fragile contexts. Involving a range of actors to address these challenges is critical; governments, civil society and business all have roles to play.
With violent conflict now recognised as potentially the most important barrier to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, many organisations recognise the need to better understand the connection between their work and conflict. Their recognition is critical moving forward: on one hand their actions may unintentionally exacerbate social tensions, which can lead to escalating violence. On the other, many organisations have an untapped potential to contribute to social cohesion and peace, even if it is not their core mission.
How we work with Conflict Sensitivity
We support civil society, governmental institutions and businesses with a high impact in fragile and conflict-affected contexts to improve their practices, so their actions do not fuel violence and contribute to peaceful change where possible.
We help partners to:
What makes our Conflict Sensitivity support distinct:
Results of our Conflict Sensitivity support
Over the past five years, we have worked with diverse partners. They value our pragmatic approach which is tailored to their needs. Our partnerships result in strategies that address conflict risk, staff that are better equipped to use conflict analysis, programmes that better adapt to changing conflict dynamics, and increased funding for peacebuilding.
Our positioning to work with companies is unique. We developed the Peacebuilding Business Criteria to engage with corporate partners on how to responsibly operate in fragile contexts. We also act as a sounding board for companies in our Peace Investment Fund portfolio and in our focus regions. Feedback from these companies have shown that they value our assessments and actionable recommendations to strengthen their contributions.
Learn more about our Conflict Sensitivity support
We run a Call for Proposals (next open in early 2020), through which civil society organisations, from our focus regions and international, can apply. Governmental, multilateral or business actors interested in learning more about our Conflict Sensitivity support may contact Héloïse Heyer.
Find out more about our Conflict Sensitivity partnerships
The full list of our current Conflict Sensitivity partners